Many people today enjoy playing paintball games with sophisticated paintball markers. A typical paintball marker has a chamber from which paintballs are fired. A paintball tube communicates with the chamber, and holds paintballs for feeding into the chamber. A bolt slides within the chamber and controls the entry of paintballs from the paintball tube into the chamber. The bolt is typically moved between an open position whereby a paintball is permitted to enter the chamber and a closed position whereby the entry of paintballs into the chamber is prevented. A pneumatic actuator is typically used to move the bolt.
If a paintball does not feed correctly in the chamber, the bolt can squash and rupture the paintball, releasing paint onto the interior mechanisms of the marker. As a result, the released paint can disrupt the proper functioning of the marker. Consequently, after a paintball is squashed inside a marker, it is usually required for the marker to be disassembled and cleaned to remove any paint on the interior mechanisms.
There is, therefore, a continuing need for paintball markers that have a reduced tendency to squash and rupture paintballs contained therein.